A Vancouver couple accused of locking up two autistic boys in a cage pleaded not guilty this morning in a Clark County courtroom.
John Eckhart and his fiancee, Alayna Higdon, are both facing charges of criminal mistreatment and unlawful imprisonment.
Investigators believe the couple built a cage in one of their apartment bedrooms and locked up the two boys, ages 6 and 7, for months.
Police said someone removed the bedroom door and replaced it with a metal gate that locked from the outside.
Investigators said Higdon told police locking up the autistic boys was the only way to control them.
Fox 12 talked with Kathy Streifel, who lives directly above the couple’s apartment. Streifel said she started calling Child Protective Services over a year ago after she heard constant banging on the walls.
“I feel like when I called the police a couple of months ago the banging stopped,” said Streifel. “I feel like (Eckhart) put them in a cage so they wouldn’t bang, so I wouldn’t call police. And I hope not because I couldn’t handle that.”
Police moved the boys at first into protective custody. They are now in the care of foster families.
The boys’ biological mother, Jona Bronson, is fighting for their custody.
“When we split up, when I left, I was under the impression that (Eckhart) was going to take care of the boys,” said Bronson. “The father has lied to me throughout this ordeal, telling me that they were in school, that they were well taken care of. It turns out that’s not the case.”
Eckhart and Higdon each posted $25,000 bail and were released from the Clark County Jail.
Their attorneys say the police description of the cage is inaccurate and they plan to focus on the care of autistic children when in trial.
Eckhart and Higdon's trial date has been set for Sept. 26.
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